Active Home Internet Users by Country, February 2008

The Internet population wavered in February in six of the 10 countries tracked by Nielsen Online.

Switzerland saw a 3.4 percent decline in the number of active Internet home users compared to January. The next biggest drop came in Australia with a 2.53 percent loss. The U.K., Italy, the U.S., and Japan each saw the number of home users drop by under 1.0 percent during the same period.

An increase in the number of active Internet home users was reported in four countries: Brazil (4.47 percent); France (4.05); Spain (1.82); and Germany (0.32) in February compared to January.

Nielsen Online uses a sampling methodology applied worldwide, which allows for data aggregation on a regional and global basis. Active Internet users are derived from the number of users who have logged on in the previous 30 days.